iCumulus’ white paper on online lead generation overview is now available for download. Find out why it’s trending and what tactics are available to you. Fantastic introduction to how lead generation is transforming the marketing and media industries.

1. iCumulus | What is Online Lead generation? 1
What is
Online
Lead Generation?
Online Lead Generation Overview
Generally speaking, online lead generation is a process of obtaining potential customer information through online
media, which can be used in a sales development capacity and also for CRM system activity. Although, the concept of
lead generation sounds straightforward, there are various techniques and processes that needs to be considered when
it comes to execution. Robin Caller, CEO Goallover and chairman of IAB Online Lead Generation Council, stated the
definition of online lead generation as follows;
Online lead generation is an online marketing activity paid for on a Cost Per Lead (CPL) basis with the stated
aim of obtaining the consumers’ express consent to receive future communications from a specific advertiser
or advertisers - via email, texts, calls and other advertiser initiated messaging. In the current economic climate,
marketers are increasingly looking to channels that are accountable and where return on investment is easily
calculable. Lead generation takes an advertiser a step closer to a converted customer than many ‘traditional’
forms of online marketing. Ultimately online lead generation is about customer acquisition.

2. iCumulus | What is Online Lead generation? 2
Online lead generation trends and developments
The online media industry has seen an emergence of online lead generation resulting from significant changes in
behavioural and social of consumers as well as the demand of measurable and reliable methods to drive traffic and
improve conversion which, eventually, bring about an improved ROI. Past research from eConsultancy showed that ‘the
number of companies who say that online lead generation budgets have gone up in year 2009 has increased from 59%
year 2010 to 65%. This compares to 31% of respondents who say that offline lead generation budgets have increased.
In addition, the allocation of marketing budgets designated to online lead generation has become significant according
to B2B lead generation marketing trends 2013.
Marketing budget allocation to lead generation
Figure 1: The marketing trends from B2B lead generation marketing trends 2013 by Holger Schulze stated that marketing budget
allocation to lead generation runs the gamut; from as little as 10 percent to more than 80 percent.
Changes in lead generation budgets
Figure 2: Lead generation budgets are going up for about 50 of B2B marketers. Budgets will stay flat for only 44 percent. Only a small
number of marketers (only 7 percent) expect lead generation budgets to shrink.
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
Don't
Know
10090807060504030201000
Survey
Responses
Percentage
of Budget
7% | Decrease
44% | No Change
49% | Increase

3. iCumulus | What is Online Lead generation? 3
How does lead generation work?
The ultimate purpose of lead generation is to capture qualified sales leads. In order to do so, you need to be clear about
how you plan to use your sales leads and a mix of tactics that suit your business and budget. Below is a transition from
prospects to sales leads and available online lead generation tactics and leads usage.
Figure 3: The process flow of sales lead transformation; prospects will be captured via online lead generation tactics. Before leads being
used, the important process is to verify data to ensure that the data is usable and qualified.
As per the process flow above, it has been indicated that online lead generation requires a thoughtful plan and a
clear objective in mind. The objectives determine a usage of sales leads while, the budget and nature of the business
determine a mix of tactics used.
Prospects
Leads
Capture
- Verification
- Quality check
- Spam Act Compliance
Data verification Centre
Buyer Portal
CRM
Leads Usage
Convert
Online Lead Generation Tactics
SEO
Display ads Affiliate Program
Mobile Social

4. iCumulus | What is Online Lead generation? 4
Online lead generation tactics and mechanics
There are many online lead generation tactics to choose from. The tactics listed below are commonly used thanks to
effectiveness and measurable performance.
SEO
Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) enables online contents and websites visible according to search queries. Although
a high website ranking tends to have a high website visit rate, irrelevant keywords or keyword phrases are not be able
to bring in right leads to your business.
Mobile
People surf the internet, search for products and view online media on the go. In addition, they can swiftly respond to
form-fills or click-to-call buttons. This is a great opportunity for advertisers to connect with people ‘on the go’ and to drive
a quick response. Credibility is crucial for this platform and it will set you apart.
Social media
People spend more time on social media every year. It’s not surprising that people are likely to go to websites via
Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn ads. Good news is that ads on social media are affordable and customisable. However,
they do require measurable metrics to verify which social network generates best leads for your products or services.
Display ads
Display ads are a creative and highly visual way to entice prospects on websites. There are a wide range of forms from
a simple and static display ad to a complexed and animated video clips. However, excessive ads on websites could turn
prospects off. Make sure your message is important and relevant the audience viewing it.
Surveys
Lead Generation within Surveys is also known as Co-registration or Question Sponsorship. Consumers are presented
a series of questions related to their profile spending habits and personal interests. A branded question facilitates a fully
opted-in lead or prospect.

5. iCumulus | What is Online Lead generation? 5
Leads from the right environment
Even though there seems to be some ambiguity surrounding results and performance of using online lead generation
tactics, there are proven records of its effectiveness. However, how you go about getting the right leads should be
considered in order to convert leads into customers effectively.According to the Hubspot 2013 state of inbound marketing
report, apart from getting qualified leads, the top priority is to acquire the right audience which takes up 25 percent of
their priorities.
Top marketing priority among CEOs
Figure 4: Hubspot 2013 state of inbound marketing report illustrated that reaching the right audience is a primary concern internationally.
More than 23% of international respondents report this metric to be the top priority, followed by converting leads to customers and
increasing lead volume, with 22% and 21% of the responses, respectively.
Once you have some background about online lead generation, it’s time to test it out. What you need to keep in mind is
that whichever method you use, make sure you closely track and measure performance to determine where your budget
should go into. It’s a test and learn process. Be sure to adapt and learn as you go.
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
Providing the ROI of
our marketing
activities
Creating quality
content
Increasing total
lead volume
Converting leads
to customers
Reaching the right
audience
25%
22%
20%
6.74%
19%
12%

6. iCumulus | What is Online Lead generation? 6
Reference Cited
1. “Online lead generation buyer’s guide”, <http://www.iabuk.net/sites/default/files/publication-download/
OnlineLeadGenerationBuyersGuide_6773.pdf>
2. Graham Charlton, “Online lead generation continues to grow”, <http://econsultancy.com/th/blog/6646-online-lead-
generation-continues-to-grow>
3. Holger Schulze, “B2B Lead Generation Trends 2013”, <http://www.slideshare.net/hschulze/b2-b-lead-generation-
report-2013>
4. “2013 state of inbound marketing”, <http://cdn2.hubspot.net/hub/53/file-30889984-pdf/2013_
StateofInboundMarketing_FullReport.pdf>